Search effort grows for cat killer in Covington

A big search effort was underway Saturday for answers in the devastating death of a pet cat found mutilated on the north shore earlier this month. The animal's death sparked outrage, and today concerned citizens came together to help the family and law enforcement.

A veterinarian, Humane Society volunteers, pet owners and concerned citizens gathered in Covington Country Club Estates Saturday afternoon. Armed with flyers, they hit the streets on foot going door to door. Their mission? To find out who killed Charley, a two-year-old pet cat found mutilated on a nearby golf course August 5th.

"This is evil on a level that I can't even comprehend really," explained Ashley Geoghegan, a local veterinarian.

St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's deputies say the cat had been cut in half. His head, front legs and chest were found on the fairway. "So many people were saying it could have been an animal, but when you look at it, it's not. It's just too clean of a cut," Becky Worthington said. She and her eight-year-old daughter Abi, who has special needs, adopted Charley a year ago.

"I know she misses him deeply. Everyday we talk about him. She wants another Charley, and it's gonna be hard to find one," Worthington said.

Filled with sadness, Abi explained, Charley wasn't just any cat. "He liked playing, and he let me hug him everywhere. He didn't care," she said.

"I have five dogs and a cat. My cat is 18-years-old, so I can truly understand the pain that the family is going through with the realization that someone could do this to a pet," St. Tammany Parish Sheriff Jack Strain said. "And secondly, I came as sheriff to make sure the residents of this community know that first and foremost, we're taking this very seriously. We have detectives assigned to this case. We're running every lead we can find."

Now, they've got even more support from neighbors and strangers to try and track down who's responsible. "Whoever did this is probably a sick individual, and he's loose in our community, and we need to work together to find him and to find him help," Geoghegan said.

"I'm happy that they're trying to help us figure out what happened to him," Abi explained.

Geoghegan said they're gonna go in every direction past the direction where Charley was found. The family knows it won't bring their little Charley back, but finding who did this, they hope gives them some peace in moving on.

"It won't be the same. There won't be another Charley. He was our family.. we'll miss him," Worthington said.

The reward for information stands at $1,000, but that amount could grow. The family tells FOX 8 donations are still coming in for help.

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